US-South Korea military drills to proceed despite North Korea's warning https://t.co/MsSUK3t8a7

— KimcheeGI (@KimcheeGI) July 31, 2016

Seoul’s summer hotspot, Yeouido Hangang Park was the venue for the 2016 Water Fight Festival held in the city as part of the annual, summer long, Han River Festival. The event was held across two weekends and is a fun way to cool down in Seoul’s famously hot and humid summer if you don’t mind getting wet! Teams were divided by blood type and set against each other using water guns and water balloons in addition to a program of live music.  [Flickr]

I have never heard of an military arms rooms getting broken into.  Considering the security that goes with an arms room I think this has to be an inside job by someone who had access to the arms room.  Has any ROK Heads ever heard of an arms room getting broken into?:

Special agents from the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command are investigating the theft of guns and other military equipment from a base arms room in Stuttgart, military officials said.

“Several semi-automatic pistols, one small-caliber automatic rifle and a shotgun were among the items taken,” said Chris Grey, a CID spokesman.

The Army did not identify all the items stolen or the unit targeted, citing the active investigation. A possible breach of the base fence is also part of the ongoing probe.

“We are looking at all possibilities as the investigation continues, but at this point in the investigation it does not appear that an outside entity stole the firearms and equipment or breached the fence line, but we have not completely ruled it out,” Grey said.  [Stars & Stripes]

I would think the first person to ask what happened would be the unit armorer who has the code to enter into the arms room.  For example did he give the code out to someone else that wasn’t authorized to open the arms room?

The American monk believed that as a foreigner he was just a decoration for the Jogye order:

A well-known monk from the United States said Friday that he will cut ties with Korean Buddhism which he said is dominated by “bad monks” who pursue money and discriminate against foreign monks.

On his Facebook account, Monk Hyun Gak wrote, “I am deeply disappointed with Korean Buddhism. August will be my last visit to Korea.”

Hyun Gak currently serves as chief monk at Hyeongjeong Temple in Yeongju, North Gyeongsang Province. He is now staying in Germany.

Born in New Jersey, the monk became a member of the Jogye Order in 1992. He became a Korean citizen in 2008.

He was inspired by Seungsahn, the master of the Jogye Order and a founder of the International Kwan Um School of Zen. The two met at a lecture in the U.S. Seongsahn died in 2004, and Hyun Gak took over the Zen school as director.

The monk cited the authoritarian culture, hierarchical system, discrimination against nationality and gender, and the pursuit of money within the Jogye Order as reasons for his departure.  [Korea Times]

You can read more at the link, but to be fair the Jogye order isn’t much different than many other religious sects that seem to prioritize raising money over teaching their religious beliefs.

Please leave anything you want to discuss in the comments section.

New Taco Bell in Jongno. Self-catering system, Kimchi Quesadillas, and BEER! https://t.co/YRp1UttIj4 pic.twitter.com/yaYxl4ONbh

— J. D. McPherson (@ZenKimchi) July 29, 2016

South Korean archer Ki Bo-bae, a double gold medalist at the 2012 London Olympics, checks her smartphone at Galeao International Airport in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 29, 2016, as she arrives to compete at the upcoming Rio de Janeiro Olympics. (Yonhap)

It looks like Korean trains are getting increasingly packed due to the Rail-ro pass program:

At Seoul Station, Kang Yea-na, a 22-year-old student, boarded a Mugunghwa train bound for Gyeongju, a popular destination on the southeastern coast. She did not have a normal ticket.

Rather, Kang was boarding the train on a Rail-ro pass, along with many similarly young travelers holding passes that allow them to take free or standing seats aboard trains.

The Rail-ro program, run by the Korean Rail Corporation (Korail), allows pass holders to hop on and off trains by taking standing or free seats. The program is limited to Koreans under the age of 25, and Korail releases roughly 10,000 tickets per day.

The name Rail-ro is a portmanteau of “rail,” which is also a homophone for “future” in Korean, and “ro,” which means “path.”

The program has gained popularity ever since Korail introduced the passes in 2007. Rail-ro travelers have been coined the nickname “railers,” and ridership has increased each year.

During the program’s first year, the number of railers was close to 8,000. By 2014, the number surpassed 192,000.

Korail sells Rail-ro passes only twice a year, in the summer from June to September and in the winter from November to March. Five-day passes cost 56,500 won ($50) and seven-day passes go for 62,700 won. Railers are free to board most types of trains, including the ITX-Cheongchun, ITX-Saemaeul, Saemaeul, Nuriro and Mugunghwa.  [Joong Ang Ilbo]

You can read more at the link, but has any ROK Heads traveled around Korea using this pass?

Here we go again with another group of North Korean soldiers pillaging a Chinese town.  This is not the first time this has happened and likely won’t be the last:

Five North Korean soldiers who deserted their posts with weapons engaged in a shootout with Chinese authorities on Thursday after armed robberies in Jilin Province, according to diplomatic sources.

The soldiers entered China through Hyesan city in North Korea on July 23 and committed an armed robbery in Changbai Korean Autonomous Prefecture in Jilin Province.

As the robbery spree intensified, the Chinese army and police formed a task force to catch the soldiers and a major shoot out ensued in a town inside the prefecture on Thursday.

Two of the soldiers were arrested but many of the Chinese were injured. Two Chinese police officers were rushed to a nearby hospital in a critical condition.

Chinese authorities have launched a manhunt for the three remaining soldiers.

“Authorities have issued a curfew to local residents until they arrest all the culprits,” a diplomatic source said. [Korea Times]

Fortunately no one has been killed yet by these thugs unlike what happened in 2014 when a rampaging North Korean soldier killed four elderly Chinese citizens.

Samda market is open tonight in Shin Jeju. Check it out for food, music and shopping! #Jeju https://t.co/P9vwuBf9f1 pic.twitter.com/qH6tuVCKO1

— The Jeju Weekly (@JejuWeekly) July 29, 2016